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Evolving Security for Emerging Service Provider Challenges

A sampling of recent service provider news reveals a consistent theme – a collective focus by an industry on investments that deliver a better customer experience by offering customizable services, flexible deployment options, on-demand capability, and quality at a fair price.

Underpinning these new capabilities are new architectures like SDN and NFV which are enabling a new kind of network – one that is software-based, dynamic, and modular. These networks align with the digital transformation initiatives of many organizations that are seeking to boost productivity and profitability with a host digital technologies that support new business models and better services.

Closely tracking network evolution and new service capabilities is a growing security risk, one driven by an expanding attack surface, legacy security practices, increasingly sophisticated threats, and a lack of adequate resources and tools.

In order for all parties to be successful, the right security capabilities need to be deployed in conjunction with new networking technologies.

As a security solution provider with broad experience in the service provider space, Fortinet has developed, and continues to enhance security solutions that protect Communication Service Providers.

With virtualized services expected to show strong growth, we expect orchestration, management, and VNF interoperability to become more important as Service Providers select the right security for their new environments.

As we witness 5G rollouts, SD-WAN expansion, and the commercial embrace of IoT capabilities, security will play a critical role as better threat intelligence and enhanced insights provide protection to an ever growing attack surface.

We also anticipate that the role of MSSPs will grow as organizations seek solutions to the chronic shortage of expertise that has characterized the growth of digital services and applications. Having the right security tools, with the ability to scale to customer need, support operational requirements, and support user information requirements, will be essential.

Our current newsletter touches on a number of these themes. Over the course of the year we will continue to focus on topics that directly apply to the service provider space.